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Who Dey Revolution Manifesto

Preamble

IN THIS TIME of perpetual Cincinnati Bengals incompetence and futility, with zero playoff wins in the nineteen seasons since the WhoDeyRevolution Godfather, Paul Brown, passed away in 1991 and handed the team to his fortunate son, the Despot, Mike Brown;

Introduction

WE, the members of the Who Dey Revolution, in our fervent dedication to the Cincinnati Bengals and fanatical desire to transform our hometown team into perpetual Super Bowl contenders, call for a popular revolution of fans to demand comprehensive reform to the managerial decisions and approach of Cincinnati Bengals ownership, management, staff and players, and hereby call for the adoption of the following Who Dey Revolution Manifesto:

Manifesto Demands

THAT the Mike Brown, Katie Blackburn, Marvin Lewis, along with every other member of the Bengals management, staff and personnel, state publicly to all Bengals fans, “I will do everything in my power to help the Cincinnati Bengals win a Super Bowl;”

THAT Mike Brown will hire a general manager, drastically expand the scouting department and relinquish all control of player personnel;

THAT all training, rehabilitation and medical facilities are considered best-in-class compared to other NFL teams;

THAT the management fill the team only with players who fit the system, both mentally and physically, and are not reluctant to makes changes to player personnel when needed, regardless of cost or loyalty concerns;

THAT offensive and defensive line depth is considered the top priority for all player personnel decisions;

THAT all decisions made by ownership, management, staff and players, both on and off the field, are judged only by this criterion: “Does this help the Cincinnati Bengals win a Super Bowl?”

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December 17, 2008

Project Mayhem Task #7 - Send a Letter to Commissioner Goodell

While the city of Cincinnati and 127 season ticket holders have brought their complaints of the Cincinnati Bengals to the courts and fans have written letters to Mike Brown, to WDR's knowledge, no one has requested the assistance of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Today, WDR will change this by sending this letter addressed to Roger Goodell and copied to all 32 NFL owners (including Mike Brown) asking that the NFL intervene to force Mike Brown to make the necessary changes to field a competitve team. This request is being made for the sake of Bengals fans but also because Mike Brown has willfully and intentionally abused the revenue sharing provisions that were created to promote parity among NFL teams. Instead of investing this additional revenue in the Bengals, Mike Brown puts it in his pocket.

All 33 letters are being sent via overnight FedEx - enabling WDR to confirm that Mr. Goodell's office and every other NFL office received the letter in orderly fashion. WDR awaits the Commissioner's response.

We all know that Mike Brown has not given back to the fans/taxpayers who paid for the stadium. But the story does not end there. In addition, Mike Brown has been taking advantage of the NFL's revenue sharing system by avoiding costs at the expense of improving the team while still benefiting from the generous revenue sharing plan. Not only are Mike Brown's non-competitive ways unfair to Bengals fans and residents but it is also unfair to the NFL and the 31 other franchises striving to win championships and build league revenue.

Comrades, to drive our point home, your role for Project Mayhem Task #7 is to print out and send this letter to Mr. Goodell:

The letter is the same as the one we are sending but is designed to be sent by individual NFL fans to show the amount of people that share these concerns. Be sure to fill in the date, your name and your signature before printing and sending. We'll be sure to update the Bengals' record in the letter weekly for the last two games. Letters should be sent to the following address:

Comrades should print and send only one letter but should also forward this link to as many Bengals fans, Cincinnati residents and/or NFL fans as possible. The more individual fans that send these, the more effective this task will be.

We are certainly aware of Mr. Goodell's comments earlier this week in response to a question regarding whether he might intervene in the operations of the Oakland Raiders. Goodell's response was "The Dolphins showed how fast you can turn a franchise around. The Atlanta Falcons have showed how fast you can turn a franchise around….[The Raiders have] been competitive for decades. I'm sure [Oakland Radiers' owner Al] Davis and the Raiders are going to turn that around." In case it isn't obvious, this is easily distinguishable from the Bengals situation. Unlike the Oakland Raiders, the Bengals have not indeed been competitive for decades and have been at the bottom for 18 years. While Al Davis has demonstrated a dedication to winning, Mr. Brown has shown no capability or motivation to build a winning organization. This behavior is entirely inconsistent with the NFL and WDR believes the NFL should intervene.

Comrades, the focus of our Revolution is to bring change. It is time to bring the Revolution to the commissioners office. Please send this letter to Roger Goodell and ask him to intervene.

Comments

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You need to be more particular with your criticism of his linebacker statement. That he expected to rely on two starters who haven't played (or are physically unable to play) for at least the last season is valid - in assembling his draft, and in his long-term strategic planning, it is reasonable to expect to be able to expect them as starters.

Mike Brown looks to field a team of franchise players in an age of free agency. The real problem is that in his quest for a good continuous run, he is blind to problems immediate to the current and next seasons.

That he has allowed the offensive and defensive lines to deterioriate in his quest for "the perfect starter" is inexcusable. Any joker playing Madden in franchise mode knows you re-load after a season for next season, not in preparation for a season 5 or 6 years away.

Also, I think the other owners will 1) applaud him for pilfering the locals for a new stadium, 2) wish they could bargain-hunt for skill, and 3) are grateful that the Bengals are not competitive - that doesn't hurt their attempt to build successful franchises, that really really helps them out.

The commissioner's comment about how the Dolphins, as Exhibit A, can turn things around so dramatically and quickly, can't go without noting that the Dolphins' ownership has a demonstrated history of trying to win, and that was most recently underscored by the hiring of Bill Parcells to do exactly what has been done - turn around the fortunes of the franchise. This makes the value of a Dolphin-Bengal comparison obvious.

I'm waiting for the "that won't do anything" letters. For all you people, save it. We've all wanted a letter to be sent like this. Thank you WDR. Keep it up. At the very least, let's be a pain in Mikey's tight anal sphincter.

A co-worker of mine's boss was on a flight to Dallas on Monday and Mikey Boy & Katie were sitting right in front of him...in coach of course. I wonder if they were going to visit Jerry Jones to see how he runs a winning franchise sans GM? Or to see if Jones would be interested in releasing Pacman so that Mikey Boy can do some more redeeming.

The important part about this is sending it to all other NFL owners. Mikey was one of TWO owners to vote against the current CBA because he said it favored big market teams and he needed more money. Guys like Bob Kraft, Jerry Jones, and Dan Snyder who have spent buckets of their own money to try and make their teams better are NOT happy with Mike Brown pocketing the revenue sharing money and not trying to put a quality product on the field.

Goodell may technically be an employee of Mike Brown, but Kraft/Jones, etc have MUCH more pull with the NFL and they do not like how Mike Brown runs the team. That is our best shot at change from the NFL.

Great to hear from other frustrated Bengals fans. I love this team because I grew up in Cincy. I cannot think of one other reason to support the team.

I admire that Brown stayed in Cincy, but he needs to move aside. I remain shocked that he continues to believe he can manage football operations.

He is a stubborn mule. I do not agree with those who simply say he's cheap. We routinely OVERPAY guys like CJ, J Smith and Stacey Andrews while letting Steinbach say goodbye. Cheap is not the right word for MB, more like ignorant.

You would have had better luck wiping your butt with those letters than sending them to the owners and Commissioner Goodell. Nobody outside of us Bengals fans gives a damn how this team does or how bad Mike Brown is at being an owner. I support the cause, but stick to things like the urinal mints or signs at the games. That way it brings the disgruntled fans closer together for the common cause.

My letter has been sent. Next up, WDR christmas cards to Mike and Katie's house and to the Bengals Corporate office. On the front the picture of Mike from the WDR banner and on the back, "All I want for Christmas is a new GM"

I tried to post a thread on the Bengals' message board on Bengals.com - it was removed within an hour. All the comments were asinine. Is it just me, or is everyone on that message board a complete retard?

You know, I'm all for going over Mike Brown's head, but Rodger Goodell is really about as much of an idiot as Mike Brown... wait, I'm sorry, thats not fair to Mr. Goodell.

Remix:

Mr. Goodell is retarted and is one of the worst Commissioners that the NFL has seen, however, he beats the hell out of Mike Brown. The Bengals might be 4-9-1 right now instead of 2-11-1 if he was the owner. This guy isn't going to do anything, and I guarentee you he is more stubborn than Mikey, even if he is slightly smarter.

"While the city of Cincinnati and 127 season ticket holders have brought their complaints of the Cincinnati Bengals to the courts and fans have written letters to Mike Brown, to WDR's knowledge, no one has requested the assistance of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell."

Roger Goodell actually had a live chat going on NFL.com about a month back, in which fans could ask him questions and he would respond to the ones he chose.

I posed a question that essentially was this letter exactly, although naturally shorter because of the chat setting.

Commissioner Goodell did not reply.

I'm skeptical of this actually working, but the logic is clearly sound and Goodell does have an obligation under the circumstances to intervene, whether he actually does so or not. Maybe the mass mailings will help force him to take the issue seriously. Good call, Revolutionaries.

I think the best way to move the NFL to action is do show something similar to what got MLB to remove Marge from owning the Reds. Show him that Mike Brown is bad for business, causing an increase in NFL apathy, costing the NFL revenue through less merchandising sales, etc. Hopefully, we can push the issue of a loss of quality from the NFL, that NCAA is taking over, etc. Money talks, even if common sense doesn't.

Problem is... that might just as likely have them planning on moving the Bengals outside of what is now perceived as the Indianapolis Colts' market once the stadium revenue agreement ends. Not what I want to happen at all.

Good stuff guys. If you really want to get under the Brown family skin you've got to take away their anonymity. I've suggested this on Chick Ludwig's board and elsewhere, but someone needs to go Michael Moore on Mike Brown (and the rest of the Brown family). They're public figures benefitting from public money and a documentary about their incompetence practically writes itself. You could encourage people to film them in public with their cell phones asking set questions ("Why won't you hire a G.M..."). See if someone can film Mike picking his nose while driving his Lumina to Bengals HQ and post it on You Tube. He has no shame relative to his football team's performance, see if that extends to other things in his life. Anything to lower his comfort level in a non-threatening way.

EGADS!!!!!!!!!!!! This is EXACTLY the kind of shit that I have been trying to tell you... ...MIKE OWNS THE TEAM! He can do with it what he wants. As much as we might want to have a say in what happens with the team and what he does with it, Mikey Boy can -- AND WILL -- tell us to go get fucked! Get this straight... Roger Goodell can't do a fucking thing to Mikey Boy. If he tells Mikey Boy exactly what you are requesting that he say, Mikey Boy is going to mention the Sherman Act and Goodell will watch his 'willy' shrivel up so small that Jane Skinner will no longer like you for doing that to him! Goodell isn't going to have that happen to him because right from the start... ...he knows what's at stake. By doing this... ...something that cannot have any effect, you are not going to get under MBB's skin. You aren't even going to 'sacrifice yourselves' etc. He doesn't give a flying flippin' fuck what you or me think.

If you go to the city and cry to them... what are they going to do? Again, Mikey is probably going to go to Goodell and tell him that if the NFL doesn't shut up those fuckers at city hall, he is going to be the first true and absolute NFL insider that goes before Congress to testify about the NFL's exemption to the Sherman Act. The city of Cincinnati's city hall will be so quiet you will hear the crickets chirping!

If you cry to each owner... do you think they are going to give a happy bit of sheep shit? They know Mikey Boy is a quief! They know that he's a piece of shit. They know it... they get it... they know that even if they wanted to, they can't do a fucking thing about it. They can't vote him out. They can't boycott playing games in Cincinnati or against the Bengals themselves. They can do nothing. In the face of knowing that nothing can be done -- then spending the time and effort to do exactly that.. ..nothing, is insane.

Folks, you want to be rid of Mikey Boy, well I can't assure you it would work but I CAN tell you that it would be every bit as effective -- even possibly more so as what you are doing. You go up to him and ask him to leave. Nothing more needs to be added to that. Mike? Please leave. The moment that he plays his card: 'The Bengals are going to go with me!' don't be pussies and start cryin': We are going to lose our football team... ...we can't do that! etc. etc. etc. ad infinitum ad bullshit! -- much like you did when you voted Mikey Boy that collosal fucking cold gray building downtown that is Paul Brown Stadium. Stand up and act like you've got a pair! If we lose the team, we lose the team. If we get another back later on, then hey that's great. But past that quit fucking bitching over things that not only can't you change but you have no standing in! But my money is on a bunch of pussy-boys bailing out when push comes to shove because they are a bunch of selfish pricks who only think of themselves!

WC, you start off your stupid tirade with EGADS??? Yea, that will get everyone's attention. Are you Mike Brown? Dude, if you do what you say, you will be arrested. What will this do? If you make a sign in the stadium, they take it down, you might be able to do what you say at at training camp, but then again he would get security and the local dufus georgetown back wood cops will arrest you. What they do after they arrest you, I don't think you would want to know. I think what is being done here is correct. It is hitting the owners where it hurts. The last time something like this was done by hitting their pockets the Commish came to visit Cincy for the first time ever since Mike Brown has took over this team. He then hired a HC not all ready on the roster, he made minor changes in the scouting department, he bought gym equipment, etc.... they were subtle changes, but he made them because the owners were tired of giving him free money and him not holding up his side of the house by making sure fans come to the games and buy merchandise, etc...

WC, you seem like the kind of guy that would give Ben Roethlisdummy a reach around while you plug his hind end. You don't have to be on board with WDR, but don't put down the efforts of others who want change. Now you can go clean Mike Tomlin's nut off your chin with your terrible towel.

I know why Mike Brown is doing this: He hates his father. He hates him because he feels that he can never measure up to his father, and he feels that he needs to, when instead he should enjoy the freedom of, not only being himself, as a unique and gifted individual, but also as the son of a (if not the ultimate) football legend...

It seems to me, to be similar to the situation with Ernest Hemingway and his son...Ernest Hemingway, a 'man's man', and a 'manly author', writing 'manly books', had a son whom, evidently resented his father hogging all the 'manliness'...and so, the son grew to be a gay transvestite, perhaps the antithesis (if not the alter ego) of his father, Ernest Hemingway...eventually, the son killed himself...truly a tragedy... :(

w.-ater c.-loset is a bit lazy with its comments, and how it chooses to phrase them takes away a lot of its credibility, but that doesn't mean its ideas lack merit...(though some of you are just as weak with the gay sex/shittsburgh references, not because they're inappropriate or untrue, but because they're just as tired and worn out as the 'you're better than that' retort...)

earlier this past week, i tried to encourage discussion on a very similar idea to what w.c. is floating here: professional sports are a business - not a social institution or right. as much as we fans wish it were so, professional sports' operations are founded on reasons other than the general welfare of the local community. where it gets confusing for we fans is when we fail to recognize that just because the business has our city's name on the team, it doesn't mean the team belongs to the citizen's of the city (i'll exclude green bay here, but i really don't know enough about what their situation actually is). the team's belong to groups of private people just like any corporation - answerable only to the people who own the that entity. (perhaps if a majority of citizens would rally to support the return to the regulations we used to have on corporations back when they were first created in our country- that the had to demonstrate a viable public service or risk losing their status - then we would have a leg to stand on; as it is now, these corporations are treated with pretty much the same rights as an ordinary individual citizen, answerable to their own best interest. throw in the unique nature of a professional sports league and all of the advantages the government gives them to operate when it comes to anti-trust exemptions and collusion, and you've got a pretty hard business model to attack...)

faced with this reality of what we're actually dealing with, i posted a lengthy proposal under the comments section of "11 worst christmas gifts..." highlighting the area i think we as fans and "revolutionaries" should be focusing our efforts on in order to demand change in a system we really have limited authority to demand change from. the methods i'm encouraging are the same methods that any citizen has to persuade any business to change its business practices. if we would like to see change in the way the cincinnati football team conducts business and in the product it offers, and recognizing that businesses are only interested in turning profits, we must utilize the only leverage we have: we must refuse to patron the business that is the cincinnati bengals. this is the only logical and proven way to encourage a business to deliver a product which the customer demands, and i personally think mike brown is a savvy enough businessman to adapt to his client's interests if pressured through an organized boycott of his goods.

the obstacles and potential problems to this line of action include some of the following: on the fan's side - an embargo on all profit streams flowing to the cincinnati bengals seems like a traitorous act against something we consider our birthright. we have to remember: a professional sports team is not our social right, as much as we would like to see it as one. the team is not ours, nor is it obligated to serve our interests. convincing enough fans to accept this hard reality will be extremely tough, but only when it is adopted and practiced by a critical mass of followers will efforts to induce change in the business of the cincinnati bengals succeed. the potential fallout from such action includes the idea that the business entity of the cincinnati bengals will consider only the options best serving their financial interests when faced with a crippling lack of paying customers. such economic pressure by it's clients might encourage bengals, inc. to decide it‘s better for the bottom line to "go out of business" or relocate their business. we as fans need to be prepared for that. (as alluded to earlier, there are special circumstances surrounding sports leagues that govern how feasible dissolving or relocating would be, but if history is any indication, the leagues are also more interested in the profitability of their franchises, not the passionate wishes of its clients. i think an understanding of this reality is where the "negative" reaction to task 7 is coming from.)

so, as i presented in my comments under "11 worst gift ideas", i believe the public humiliation of mike brown and attempts to circumnavigate his power over his business, while entertaining, is ultimately a misguided strategy to encourage the kind of change we are all looking for with the regards to the performance of the cincinnati bengals. i again call for more discussion from all perspectives on the opportunities available to manipulate the only mechanism we as customers have to induce change over the product offered by this business - disrupting their revenue stream. how are we as seekers of a better football product in cincinnati going to refuse patronage of this business until our needs are met? Let the debate and action be focused and forward.

No reason for me to go too far! In responding to some of the 'toolboxes' out there! So I will limit it to the first few responses! OK? (btw, enough exclamation marks there eddie!?).

Sly, not crazy, just realistic.

eddie, the prime purpose of punctuation is to provide.direction/flow to the written word -- so that it can be understood where certain aspects and pauses of a statement are indeed located! Howeve, I am not surprised as I see that you know this! Enough said! (And yes, I am placing more exclamation points because they apparently annoy you!

Tiger... Nothing stupid about my tirade... It is 100% accurate. Stop trying to profess your knowledge of the law will you? Just to let you know, MBB is a public figure and as such, he is open to varying degrees of statements about him but one CAN exceed this and therefore result in illegal harrassement! Does your legal knowledge allow you to know that? And WITF are you talking about getting arrested by security? What does that have to do with what I wrote? And what is this conspiratorial-like talk about my not want to know what 'they' would do after 'they' would arrest you? Let me guess? You believe in black helicopters and the Bildeburgers?

Yes, you are embarassing yourself 'Who Che' -- especially letting mental midgets like Bob Sugar act like he could actually write! (HMMbtw, you provoked that one so I don't want to hear any shit about that.) I won't make a comment on your snarky (and meaningless) comment regarding 'smarts'. Disgusting! (11 exclamation marks, there Eddie, have at it!) -- whoops! thirteen! errr! fifteen! err...! well you get the picture... I've drawn it on an etcha-sketch for you! tard!

WC - This will be the final time I acknowledge your sophomoric and unintelligent adolescent remarks. Believe it or not, an intelligent conversation on the issues has greater weight than dropping F-bombs, exclamation points, capital letters, and derogatory language toward the disabled. As a writer of the WDR I am clearly aware that our opinions and points of view may face criticism. You are clearly welcome to bring forth your disparagement and “clever” remarks in any fashion you wish, however, be very aware and clear that this is not a forum directed toward junior high pre pubescents that still think the F word is a valid and mature opportune remark in emphasis of a point of view. We encourage a challenge by anyone that may have a bigger, better, and different point of view than what we may fathom to keep the ideas flowing. We are not afraid of negativity, but would hope that it is not completely baseless and has some merit. Feel free to continue as you will because this forum is anything but an oligarchy; however, take note that there are people other than you that read and respect the opinions of those who comment to our articles and our goals. We encourage you to post, however, do so in an adult like and intelligible fashion.

Eddie, here's a hint... I don't care if it was the first time, last time or somewhere in between so to that end, well, as you can see, I don't like flaming people as what I talk about are groups -- you on the other hand... As to the 'F bombs,' what? Are you afraid to say the word? My goodness! As a writer of the WDR, you leave much to be desired. How's that?

Look, I have taken great pains to present cogent arguments using valid information and fact yet I consistently see people bringing forth 'The Spirt of Paul Brown' in their arguments when to do so is asinine in the least. So I decided to leave it at that and some twerp comes on here and says the equivalent of: "Paul Brown was great and you can't say anything bad about him etc!", so now I have to defend my remarks and then that is when the flame wars start (you can look at your own message to understand that.). So you then have the temerity to rag all over me because I frame my remarks with absolute remarks that are beyond reproach. Instead... ...I get people remarking about my use of capital letters and punctuation... ...now that's the definition of being a twit.

I am aware that this forum is a place to vent about issues regarding Mikey Boy Brown. These issues have to have a basis and understanding for them to have merit and from what I've seen, very little has been 'well thought out' in those regards and that lessens the credibility of the argument that the premise of this board relies on.

I have enumerated the issues and in trying to do so, I have been getting a bunch of punks -- yes, PUNKS taking cheap shots etc. instead of dealing with the issues being present in this situation. So where it degrades is on YOUR side of things -- not mine. I can go through them all again if you'd like -- but if past representations (on your side) are anything to predict future representations, the criticisms that I bring will not be addressed by those who rebut these missives but rather it will result in a flame war (again by the people 'on your side'). I will yet try again...

Answer me this (and use practical thought based on the actions and inactions of one Mikey Boy Brown): Project Mayhem had a 'Billboard' 'angle' (effectively AGAINST MBB). My contention is that it did not do one 'durned' thing in this world to MBB and instead was de facto, a waste of money (if the money being spent for those billboard was intended to have a negative effect on MBB). Please explain to me why it was not a waste of money and how it actually had 'traction' against/towards MBB and the stated goals of this website?

I am (and since I wrote this again after making these comments that indeed challenged by use of a different POV) stating this conclusions in an effort to challenge via the use of a different POV. In any 'debate' one must present such things as a premise and a conclusion. Upon such presentation(s) (depending on the style of debate) one must be able to support their conclusions. In the past, I gave that support right then and there. In this debate, we will play a 'tit for tat' style. So let's hear it. The premise that the Billboards will have a positive effect on acheiving the agenda of this website (your premise) is being challenged by me. Deal with that issue and only that issue. I say that MBB doesn't give a flyin' rip about those billboards. I say that it means nothing to him. Now it is your turn to counter my posit. Care to take me up on it without a flame war? I'm game!

These long posts are unreadable. Perhaps I can make my points more succinctly...

Saying that Goodell is an employee of Mike Brown is a vast over-simplification. If things were that simple then Al Davis wouldn't sue the NFL so often.

The most important part of the original WDR letter is the CC to the other owners. The problem is that they only care about the Bengals if it effects their bottom line. And this is an organization that has been very successful without a team in the #2 media market for the last 14 years. They won't be moved easily.

No city has a right to a team, but neither is a team simply a business without any connection to the city that hosts it. A team/league doesn't just open up shop and expect to be successful without generating some passion from local sports fans. Just ask the Arena Football League.

The other NFL teams probably see doing business with the Brown family as being unavoidable, and don't mind that the Brown family will never challenge them for the money that comes with success. They also would probably look the other way if a legitimate fan revolt cuts into the Browns' profits and forces them to move the team.

So my thought is this....

In order to force the NFL to intervene with the Bengals, it may be necessary to demonstrate that the Bengals such an unmitigated disaster that it actually threatens the integrity of the entire league for them to exist as they are now. And that not only are they an embarrassment to the city of Cincinnati (and look to be a continuous embarrassment for years to come) but that no other city would be willing to take them should the Brown family want to move them.

Seems to me, a possible next step in the WDR agenda would be to approach sports fans in cities like Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Jose, Columbus, Austin, Charlotte, El Paso and Las Vegas and ask them to sign petitions pledging their non-support for a relocated Bengals team.

I think that would help the NFL to realize they have more at stake then simple profits when the Brown family continues to run one of their teams into the ground.

I think what people need to realize is that not one step is going to effectuate legitimate change. It will take a series of pointed events to have any effect, even if minimally, on Mike Brown. Criticism of any one Project Mayhem is bound to happen, but we have to look at the whole picture. Being a pesky thorn in MB's side over the duration of a year or more might actually make a difference.

I wish the reporters from the Enquirer would take a more active, demanding role when confronting Mike Brown. The interview he granted a few weeks ago was diluted and disappointing. I would expect this from Hobson, but not from an Enquirer reporter who does not receive his paycheck from MB. A more intense, angry, and dominant local media force would really underscore this cause.

WC, et al: you are simply missing the point. Even if sending the letter has no effect on Mike Brown, our hope is that the CUMULATIVE efforts of WDR will have the desired effect: disrupt the normal routine of Mike Brown. The letter as a solitary act will not elicit change--we know this. However, it costs, what, $.41 to send a letter (seriously, I haven't bought stamps in a long time, I don't know)? So it is hardly of consequence that this lone act will not radically change things.

Nevertheless, as we have stated many times on this website: we are in it for the long haul: we are not short-sighted or myopic like MBB or many Bengals fans. This is a war of attrition--and while Mike Brown has proven himself a worthy adversary in that regard (he seems unphased by 18 years of futility), rest assured, we will prevail. He has never faced a group with the ingenuity and resolve afforded the WDR crew. So, in the interim, no need to espouse your negativity, particularly with regards to an isolated tactic. This is a war, not a battle. If you lack the patience and resolve to see this through (as most Bengals fans do), go back to playing your X-Box. But we will remain focused, vigilant, and firm in our opposition.

to the fellow who is challenged by long posts: why did you post twice? if you prefer to read the mcnuggets of jingoistic dribble that comes from most blogging e-holes, i won't oblige. the frustrating part with your attitude is that you allude to the fact that a statement in an apparently overly detailed entry is actually "a vast over-simplification..." you can't have it both ways. you can't advocate shorter comments and then call people out for lack of detail and depth. i agree being efficient with words is in order, but you'll have to work to overcome any attention deficit disorders you have when dealing with complex issues. if the intent of these forums is to discuss ideas, you have to use your faculties and not only listen to other perspectives but do your duty to deliver quality insight in return. keep at it. you will get faster with time.

to some of the writer's of this wdr...you're starting to blur your mission statements (of which i can see there are several, but of which i feel like there should be some definite priority.) i thought the point of all of our energy into this movement was to bring about a respectable and successful football product in cincinnati by encouraging changes to the football operations of the team that are in line with this industry's best practices. now i start to hear that, under scrutiny by fellow concerned comrades, you are beginning to claim that "to disrupt the normal routine of mike brown" is the desired goal. i can't get behind that. you and some others who prefer sophomoric pranks and witty sarcasm in lieu of diligent behind the scenes work may think this is something to congratulate yourselves over, but i'm not interested and i don't support those motives. the criticisms here are meant to highlight areas such as this kind of school-boy/frat-boy behavior and encourage discussion/implementation of more focused and fruitful labors.

to the fellow who discounts the idea that the nfl and its franchises are not businesses and that there's more to it, you're sadly very wrong. only when an owner CHOOSES to inject personal passion and a desire to have a connection with the community do those feelings begin to become considerations in day-to-day operations. i argue that even an owner choosing to "listen" to the fans represents only a business owner understanding the profitability of having a loyal and satisfied client base. your reference to the arena league is lacking in supporting evidence and commentary. i contend that the example of the arena league on one hand represents exactly what can happen if an entire market chooses to not patron a certain business. the company's health will start to fail and it will have to decide how to rectify things. as i've mentioned before, it can choose to "go out of business", move it's business to a more receptive market, sell the business to another interested owner, or dedicate itself to making a better product for the existing market. where the arena league comparison stops being an appropriate case study as it relates to the nfl and the bengals is in the point that the arena league is a new entity trying to establish itself in the american professional sports market. the nfl is already an enormously healthy institution. this means that the first option of "going out of business" is likely out of the question for an nfl team, but quite a big reality for a relative start-up like the arena league.

that leaves us with the other possible options as it relates to the fallout of an embargo of buying bengals products: moving the team, selling it, or improving the team to deliver a valuable product. to be honest, i like the input of the comrade who suggested encouraging other markets to express no desire in welcoming this failing business to their community. kind of like when citizens organize to protest a new wal-mart. however, moving the team is a reality that could just happen and we really would be at an almost loss to stop it; selling the team could happen, but that's a bit of an unknown; what we as bengals fans should be focusing on is stepping up efforts in our discussion as to exactly what kinds of things we should focus our efforts on to bring about the third option - improving the product offered to us.

i encourage all fellow comrades to get on board with the idea that the nfl and the bengals represent a business and that we as fans recognize we have zero legal ownership in the business. (or debate me to the contrary). then i am promoting fervent discussion concerning the only areas we as fans have to interact with this business: the purchasing of its products and the local laws our community passes in regulating its practices. i contend so far, we as clients, have been extremely lazy and hypocritical, and in the end, weak, in our ability to ween ourselves off of the products the bengals business has offered us in all facets...we continue to buy merchandise, renew season tickets, purchase in-game refreshments, and pass laws effectively giving cash to the bengals, inc bottom line. with this behavior, we are currently only giving lip service to the idea that we are upset with the bengals franchise and no client can reasonably expect to demand change from a business that way.

as a business owner, mike brown has an enormous say over how his business is operated. he certainly has little obligation or truly much interest in changing his proven profitable practices because we think they are unfair to the fans of the city/team. in this light, let's see just how committed we are and begin the discussion about how we are going to spread the revolution to letting mike brown know we don't want or need what he's selling.

(side points - for those who have a better handle on things than i do - can anyone bring to the table some insight as to how situations in the past with owners moving the team (browns, sonics - recently for example), cities using the courts to force action of a team (twins), and public ownership of a team (packers) might relate to our cause in trying to effect change from the outside with the bengals?

second, totally off-topic note, and meant only for water-cooler back and forth banter - while most of us realize #53 is a piss-poor center, the one thing you always here about him is that he moves well in space and in games throughout his career where the opportunity presents itself, i've been impressed with his athletic ability to get way out and block in the field...with this in mind, could he be used as a fullback? has that ever been done successfully before with other centers/linemen? off the top of my head, i have no idea what the common size of a fullback is or what ghiaciuc's size is...could be totally ignorant and weak as an idea. though his hands would be a likely negative, would the "brains" of a center be useful in the blitz pick-up/blocking that a fullback needs to do?....this is something infinitely less important to discuss than the above, so i hope to see comments to the former well before the latter...)

This was around the same time as the banners that the folks at mikebrownsucks.com sponsored, and I don't know how much effect the banner, the letter, the 12,000-signature petition, or the nearly-empty stadium at the end of the season had. I don't know if they had any effect at all (I suggest to you that the combination of banners, empty seats, and negative media attention are what pushed mike brown to hire a coach outside of the organization, and that the letter had very little actual effect, though brown was cc'd on the original).

Letters have been tried - I don't know what effect they'll have. Maybe WDR's got more public cachet than I did, or that mikebrownsucks.com had. But have a good argument, be cogent, be polite to Commissioner Goodell - remember, he's not the real problem. And include a self-addressed, stamped return envelope. And don't be afraid to post whatever response you people get.

There's a reason for long posts and that is to address specific points with nothing left of room for doubt for the moment that one does not do that, some pedantic types out there will point out the 'possibilities' and one might as well never even written what they wrote to begin with.

Assure me that such shenanignas won't go on and I can guarantee you that my posts would be shorter. Assure me that I won't address something along the lines of three points and someone won't counter with five... assure me that someone won't do the equivalent of being told that the sky is blue then turn around (either to be argumentative -- or stupid) and say that the sky is pink with purple polka-dots. Assure me those things and things would be different.

WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY ARE YOU SUGGESTING WE KEEP MIKE BROWN, FUCK HIM. WE NEED TO TELL ROGER TO FORCE MIKE BROWN TO STEP DOWN. HE IS THE CANCER OF THIS ORGANIZATION. WE NEED A CHANGE FROM THE TOP, NOT JUST COACHES, BUT OWNERS. I THINK THE CITY OF CINCINNATI SHOULD CONSIDER BUYING OUT MIKE BROWN.